Comments on June 5th @ The White Sox

Hey Steve, do you think the late relievers like Bruney and Farns are trying to make the games closer at the end so Mo can get his save numbers up? I mean, seeing Trevor Hoffman get his 499th or 500th must be tough for Mo to watch, right?

Anyways, let’s go A’s! And Yanks too, of course, but I love seeing that lead shrink.

I know you wanted to gain a game a week, but it’s entirely possible to make the deficit up in just a couple weeks if the breaks go the right way. Right?

You know how in old sitcoms there would be that moment when the dopey character would do something and everyone would shake their heads, shrugs their shoulders, and laugh “That’s our (whoever)!”? Well, Torre is sort of like that. Clip was by no means dominating in his five innings, but with the lead you figured he would at least get one more inning so the bullpen didn’t have to throw four innings. But on the bench Clip sat. You just have to throw up your hands and smile. “That’s our Torre!”

(The above was said with the express intent to make Don spit at his screen.)

Anyway… the only downside to last night was that Farnsworth got hit around and Bruney couldn’t find the plate. I’ve more or less written Farns off for this year (don’t know what happened to him) but Bruney is important. We need him to be a solid setup man. I also hope Britton sticks with the team.

I really think Moose should have signed with an NL team. He takes more crap from Yankee fans than anyone else. He’s had an up-and-down season. This is a fact. But he’s not the anti-Christ. I don’t know why so many Yankee fans have so much venom for this guy. He’s both succeeded and failed in the big moment. He had a great year in his walk year and came back at a discount! If anyone else did that, fans would throw rose petals at their feet. But Moose? Nothing but abuse.

The Mets probably would have taken him. Moose in the NL in that ballpark of theirs? Probably a match made in heaven.

There seems to be a little bit of a buzz that Moose might be someone the Yankees try to trade at the deadline. If I’m an NL team, I jump all over that.

I think the problem with Moose is his penchant for making excuses. I like Moose, but I do get pissed off with his excuses, his routine, and how stuff has to be exactly perfect for him to have a good outing. What Moose did in game 3 against the A’s in 2001 will always be held in high regard, at least with me. Do you ever notice how when Moose pitches the announcers love to remind you of Mussina’s routine?

I thought Torre should have left Clippard in there till one man got on base, try and extend him as much as possible. I think he was at 86 pitches, he should have gone back out there. I really thought it was going to backfire on Torre – taking out Clippard. Glad it didn’t.

One game winning streak. Go Yanks!!!! Two game winning streak after today.

Bailey, you and I are usually in lock-step on most issues. I agree with you that Clippard should’ve been given 3 more outs or 16 more pitches, whichever came first. That would’ve either gotten him through 6 innings or 105 pitches, both of which were realistic given the lead and how he had settled down. That strikeout of Owens was a nasty pitch.

We also agree (finally!) on Farnsworth. Last year, he wasn’t as bad as his numbers indicated – I’ll concede that. But this year, he’s worse than his numbers indicate. He’s a disaster out there. Only two 1-2-3 innings this year in 20 or so appearances? Whereas I used to get on Torre for not using Farnsworth enough, now I can’t blame him — Farns just can’t be trusted any more, not even in 5 run games. Ouch.

Where we disagree is about the Moose. Yes, he took a favorable contract despite having put in his best work in two seasons. Yes he’s done his share of heavy lifting a number of times in his Yankee career. But I don’t think fans should exonerate him given how putrid he’s been in 2007. I like that Moose was taking on a leadership role with the team’s young pitchers and I think Moose is probably less snotty and abraisive than he used to be (age softening him?) but in terms of on-the-field performance in 2007, he’s been pretty lousy. I can’t fault fans for getting on his back for that.

With a bullpen this thin, carrying a “lefty specialist”, who actually gets right handed hitters out better, is a “luxury” this team can
hardly afford. A complete waste of a valuable roster spot. That was a vanity presupposing a
comfortable perch atop the AL East.

Farnsworth is not long for this team. He is an ideal trading deadline chip. There will always be a team (probably in the NL) who wants him because of his stuff. I think the Yanks can do a 7th/8th inning by committee and do just fine.

Moose is going nowhere unless we totally tank over the next 6 weeks and fall completely out of this race. His track record buys him a lot of good will with Torre and Cashman and starting pitching is just too hard to find.

Best of all, this game confirmed that the Yanks have found themselves another major league starter in the Yankee Clippard.

Myers did pitch 4 innings in one game where the starter blew up (can’t remember which one, there’ve been too many.)
=========
That would be that slugfest vs the Mariners, where he came in relief of Igawa/Bean

If Clippard has punched more children in the face than any other Yankee pitcher than Wang, so what.

If you think there is any value in being the pitcher who recorded the final out of the half inning preceding the one in which another player (although to be exact, it doesn’t have to be another player, it just happens to be another player close enough to 100%) gets a who cares about stat that was abandoned 2 decades ago because it was so meaningless (or, if it happens in the top of the 1st, then he pitches the bottom of the 1st), then it would the same value whether you call it a “win” or a “punch a child in the face.”